Is being a game programmer worth it?http://forum.devmaster.net/t/is-being-a-game-programmer-worth-it/18466
I'm 22. Male. Spent 4 years in high school heavily involved with programming video games. Did the whole C++/DirectX path of choice. Got pretty damn good until college when I stopped.
Now it's 4 years later and I'm wondering if I should begin again. One of the reasons I quit 4 years ago was because I didn't want to be 80 years old, looking back on life, and wondering if making video games was really what I should have done with my life.
You know, one of those "do you regret NOT doing anything" thoughts.
Now, upon realizing that technology is the future, I'm starting to question my original thoughts. I began wondering if I should come back to game programming when I asked myself "what else would I be programming?".
Well, I'm going to school for engineering. Do I really want to work on the next word? Do I want to work on some sensor for some Iphone or other unimportant device? Do I want to be working on processors? (I'm a computer engineer by the way, hardware and software).
When I realized that I'm going to be: A) Programming - more than likely,
B) working long hours in the technology field, C) Never get to see the big picture anyway (so working on a space probe would be retarded because it's not like you assemble the entire thing yourself... I'd work on the damn wheel motors or something - just my luck).
So in reality, if I'm going to be engineering something it might as well be fun. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth it to spend my entire life on video games. But like I said, it's either that or something else, since I'll be programming something anyway. I'd rather work on the next Halo than a new Microsoft Word.
But this brings with it a huge new question. Should I even do engineering? I look outside and love the outdoors, love exercising, love interacting with people. But what the hell would do I do with it? I go to work for a business and get into the same dilemma as game programming vs. word programming: I'm office bitch for which boss? I'll look back when I'm 80 and said I worked on business proposals. Is THAT what I want to do?
Long-winded post. I apologize. I'm going through a mid-life crisis at 22 years old. At least the majority of you know what you want. Any advice/criticism/whatever responses welcome.
Thanks,
Gardon
Sun, 18 Jan 2015 12:51:39 +0000businessIs being a game programmer worth it?no-reply@example.com (@rouncer Magnus)@rouncer wrote:

Running your own company is a different set of skills than what you actually do to earn money. It is not low cost - its never low cost. Whatever time you actually spend "doing the work", double that, because being the boss takes that much more time to do right.

Get some skills under your belt first and work for someone else. Go back to C++ development, and go to work for a company that's successful. Learn good practices. Make some great products. Use that experience to understand what makes a great product.

And if after you've done all that, you want to start a company, then start a company. If it fails, you have have your skills to fall back on. But if it succeeds, it will be because you know how (from experience) what makes code you should keep and code you should toss out, or what makes a good programmer as an employee for you, and a host of other skills.

I'd say build games because you love it, not for money. The skills you learn are very easily transferred to the business world, so if you ever need to make real money, there is always going to be that fallback.

Years ago I was in the animation industry and it was very similar to the game industry now. Companies would ramp up and hire armies of animators, but as soon as the project was done, everyone would get a pink slip. It was a feast/famine business, same as gaming is today

Anyway, as Stainless said, "Don't worry be Happy". Fact is game developers are highly respected in the industry as a whole and can always find work in the business application market if they really need to.

I wrote my first commercial program when I was 12, then wrote my first game when I was 14 (Got paid £8.00 for it! yippee) got involved with Codemasters when they first got started, hated working with them and gave up.

Went to uni and had to do a six months placement, ended up in a company called British Ropes which made steel cables for things like suspension bridges. Since I was the lowest of the low I got all the horrible jobs, but we had a lot of fun and I got my first experience of working in a real commercial environment.

Ok I was working with 1000 amp switching panels, if I needed a cable to go from a to b I had to draw it out by hand on an old fashioned technical drawing table, then send away for it to be made out of pure copper and wait a week. They made me do fault diagnostics on a wire drawing machine that had just chopped someone's head off, and crawl inside a lime kiln, they even had me prepared to go to Iran to commission a wire drawing machine there that had just been rebuilt after the Iraq's bombed it (luckily they bombed it again before I got there), but I learned a hell of a lot.

They then invested in an Apple II and had no one that knew how to program it. They found out that I had written a couple of games and put me on the job. If they hadn't I would have continued working with electronics, but after the month's of sh1t I had been through up to that point I realised that coding was the job for me.

You don't know what is right for you until you try, and you will probably change your mind a few times before you settle into something.

Thank you for everyone's help. I realize programming isn't for me. I can't sit in front of a computer all day anymore. While I love the logic aspect there are more important things to do outside. Gardon

I don't know how much more graciously I can leave when I thank everyone for their help and note that this is a personal issue, since I can't sit all day any longer. I don't understand the confusion.

I'm hoping you meant it as "...there are things that I'd personally rather be doing that writing software..." The way you said sounds extremely condescending, as if developers never do anything "important".

In all seriousness, I've interviewed random people and the happiest with their jobs seem to be those who ended up in said profession by accident.

All friends were applying for this school, so I applied as well. The only one who's still doing that as their job. Or, I was so hung over that I missed the entrance exams for other fields and this one was still open. Seriously. In one case a person was living rental in a place that was only for students, and he had graduated; he didn't want to move, so he applied to something random, and ended up liking it more.

For me, I didn't pick anything, and ended up programming. I've been relatively happy with it.

I agree. When you accept that you have no control over your life and just let life take you where it's going to take you, more often than not it ends up being better than trying to force your way into happiness.

Thank you for everyone's help. I realize programming isn't for me. I can't sit in front of a computer all day anymore. While I love the logic aspect there are more important things to do outside.

In all seriousness, I've interviewed random people and the happiest with their jobs seem to be those who ended up in said profession by accident.

All friends were applying for this school, so I applied as well. The only one who's still doing that as their job. Or, I was so hung over that I missed the entrance exams for other fields and this one was still open. Seriously. In one case a person was living rental in a place that was only for students, and he had graduated; he didn't want to move, so he applied to something random, and ended up liking it more.

For me, I didn't pick anything, and ended up programming. I've been relatively happy with it.

It's called hidden truths. These are the things you never hear about because they don't appeal to your positive outlook on a given situation. For example, often times you turn on the T.V. and hear success stories of people who had nothing to start with and ended up making it to the top.

I used to watch Ronny Deutsch's 'The Big Idea' for invention ideas of people who made simple ideas into millions. They make it seem so simple. What you don't hear about is the people who had an idea, just like those on the show, who did everything in their power to make it into millions but just didn't have the luck. You don't hear about the countless people who failed before one emerged successfully to tell his/her story. Does the one successful person's advice on how to make it trump the others who failed? Not necessarily, because there will always be someone who followed that advice and failed nonetheless. This means that there has to be another factor in success: luck.

The point I was trying to make was that I have to find out for myself, and stop taking the advice of other people, namely because many of the people willing to give advice are the ones who weren't able to achieve it themselves. While they may do well in life they will never achieve the greatness of those who took the risks of finding out what their true purpose is, because the risk was too great to even try.

I find it's that these people are often the ones giving me advice. On the other hand the successful people I have come in contact with also give advice, but what you don't hear about is the failures who followed the same advice as the successful people, but just didn't have the appropriate luck.

Most people never get out there and take the chances needed to find that perfect job. I know so many who say that they've been looking for years and never found it. These people expect something to happen without having the guts to go out and figure it out themselves. Hoping and praying aren't going to put the success in your brain.

I find it's that these people are often the ones giving me advice. On the other hand the successful people I have come in contact with also give advice, but what you don't hear about is the failures who followed the same advice as the successful people, but just didn't have the appropriate luck.

It could go either way. Sometimes I just want to give up all my worldly possessions and move to the rainforest (or the beach )

Honestly, your problem is that you are analyzing "bass ackwards" from "most likely successful endeavor IMO = what I will do", instead of the better method of "what I love to do = success".

Yes, when you are talking about your own business, it should be something you like and have experience in. When you are talking about working for someone, then the opposite is normally taken into consideration a lot more. It should be something you like and are good at, but also something where there is a large expanding market and you have a good chance of getting a job after the education part. I worked in a hospital for a while and I was listening to a group of doctors and every one of them said they went into it for the money. Nothing wrong with that. They were good doctors. A lot of these people who are looking for the perfect job they are passionate about end up being the most unhappy people I've ever met because they never find it and they are always complaining, looking for something better, and mostly end up without anything except a lot of bills. I doubt that plumbers go into the business out of passion. I know a guy that pumps out septic tanks for a living and he's happy and likes his work and his life, but I doubt he was passionate about the business. He saw a demand and a way to make a profit and it was something he was capable of doing. He's got a nice house and wife and kids. I know someone else that was always complaining about where he worked and constantly quitting. He's living in a little shack and getting by more on generosity than anything. The perfect job never came along.

technology takes a long time to implement, perhaps taking technology to business isn't the greatest idea.

That's a bad over-generalization. Depends on the "technology". The Slap Chop is making millions! Seriously, the novel idea is not the tricky part of success. It's important, but it's nothing without the sustained execution... and a little bit of stochastic luck.@gardon

The only other option I have fiddled around with is web programming. Low cost, potentially high-reward.

First, the age of the "Internet Tycoon" popped with the tech bubble of the late 90s. Second, if you think running a successful, reliable web app is "low cost", I have news for you. Your op expenses go up quick when your client base goes beyond being your friends as beta testers. @gardon

Bottom line is that I want to start my own company someday

One point of advice: you would benefit immensely from getting exposure in a start-up (or two) as staff before starting one yourself. The knowledge gained would be invaluable, and I speak from experience both as staff and as a founder.

Startups will drain a founder's life (emotionally and financially) for 3-5 years min before you get any noticeable returns... if you ever do. Live in a startup for a while, test your mettle peripherally, and see if you like the aspects your ambition is actually making you overlook, like higher divorce rates, higher suicide rates, etc...@gardon

and web-programming seems to be the key to starting that.

No.

Honestly, your problem is that you are analyzing "bass ackwards" from "most likely successful endeavor IMO = what I will do", instead of the better method of "what I love to do = success". The former never works, whereas even a passionate hairdresser can have tons of success going from just styling hair to opening a chain of successful stores and a full product line.

I have these thoughts from time to time as well. 15 years ago when I decided to work on aircraft I loved everything about aviation and couldn't wait for my next day at work. The key is finding something you love and the choices you make now can assist in getting to that point even if it isn't a direct line.

Generalize a bit, there are very few professions out there that you will work in for the rest of your life and even less companies that you will make your entire career with. Engineers are needed in just about every sector now due to the increase in tech. In the aviation world you have structural, stress, design, communications, mechanical, and the list goes on and gets more complex when you start dealing with military aircraft and the special requirements and components there.

Take classes in multiple aspects of computer engineering and see if one of them spark your interest that you had not thought of before. The possibilities are only limited by your ability to open your eyes and see them.

I say go for it an make games that you love. You will have a high degree of ownership over your work, which is the key to success (combined with passion). Given this combo, you'll be unstoppable in the field. As an engineer, you'll do ok, but won't excel if you don't love it.